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This announcement has been a long time coming. IKEA first said that its smart lighting would work with the likes of Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri way back in May. Then, in August, the company prematurely announced the functionality was available before pulling it down. IKEA promised that the update would be out in October, but it’s just a little past deadline. No matter, the update is free and available to anyone right now.
The timing couldn’t be better for Apple. The electronics giant has been steadily ramping up its smart home initiatives in the lead-up to its own smart speaker, the HomePod, which is supposed to come out sometime in December for $349. Earlier this year, Apple committed to outfitting a number of its brick-and-mortar stores with HomeKit demo areas where you could try things like voice-controlled ceiling fans and connected window shades.
